Ancient Wisdom

  A Fox fell into a well and was holding hard to some roots at the side of it, just above the water. A wolf who was passing by saw him, and said, "Hollow, Reynard, after all you have fallen into a well!" "But not without a purpose, and not without the means of getting out of it," said the fox. "What do you mean?" said the wolf. "Why, said the fox, "there is a drought all over the country now and the water in this well is the only means of appeasing the thirst of the thousands that live in this neighborhood. They held a meeting and requested me to keep the water from going down lower; so, I am holding it up for the public good." "What will be your reward?" said the wolf. "They will give me a pension and save me the trouble of going about every day in quest of food, not to speak of innumerable other privileges that will be granted me. Further, I am not to stay here all day. I have asked a kinsman of mine, to whom I have communic...

  Four ancient owls—Huma the Observer, Zara the Listener, Feroz the Questioner, and Bakht the Silent—once embarked on a great journey to understand why scandal seems to follow power like an unshakable shadow. Each owl chose a different path to uncover this truth. Huma flew to glittering palaces where kings and queens held court. Zara perched in bustling marketplaces where merchants haggled and traded. Feroz soared above great universities where scholars debated ideas. And Bakht, true to his nature, settled silently among humble villages where farmers worked the land. After many seasons of watching and listening, the owls returned to share what they had learned. Huma spoke first, his golden eyes gleaming with insight. "Where crowns and thrones shine brightest, whispers thrive in dark corners," he said. "A king's gardener knows more secrets than his royal spies. But here is the deeper truth—scandal clings not to power itself, but to the fear of losing it." His...

  A Fox that lived by the seashore once met a wolf that had never seen the sea. The wolf said, "What is the sea?" "It is a great piece of water by my dwelling," said the fox. "Is it under your control?" said the wolf. "Certainly," said the fox. "Will you show me the sea, then?" said the wolf. "With pleasure,"said the fox. So the fox led the wolf to the sea, and said the waves, "Now go back,"- they went back! "Now come up," -and they came up! Then the fox said to the waves, "My friend, the wolf has come to see you, so you will come up and go back till I bid you stop;" and the wolf saw, with wonder, the waves coming up and going back. He said to the fox, "May I go into the sea?" "As far as you like. Don't be afraid, for, at a word, the sea would go or come as I bid, and as you have already seen." The wolf believed the fox and followed the waves rather far from the shore. A gr...

       A Jackdaw once ran up to a glow worm, and was about to seize him. "Wait a moment, good friend," said the worm; "and you shall hear something to your advantage."     "Ah! what is it?" said the Jackdaw.     "I am but one of the many glow-worms that live in this forest. If you wish to have them all, follow me," said the glow-worm.     "Certainly! said the Jackdaw.     Then the glow-worm led him to a place in the wood where a fire had been kindled by some woodmen, and pointing to the sparks flying about, said, "There you find the flow-worms warming themselves round a fire. When you have fond with them, I shall show you some more, at a distance from this place."     The Jackdaw darted at the sparks and tried to swallow some of them; but his mouth being burnt by the attempt, he ran away exclaiming, "Ah, the glow-worm is a dangerous little creature!"     Said the glow-warm with pride, "Wickedness yields to w...

Once a Monkey in a wood somehow got a looking-glass and went about showing it to the animals around him. The bear looked into it and said he was very sorry he had such an ugly face. The wolf said he would fain have the face of a stag, with its beautiful horns. So, every beast felt sad that it had not the face of some other in the wood. The monkey then took it to an owl that had witnessed the whole scene. "No", said the owl, "I would not look into it, for I am sure, in this case as in many others, knowledge is but a source of pain." "You are quite right, said the beasts, and broke the glass to pieces, exclaiming, "Ignorance is bliss!"

Once a Piece of tinsel on a rock said to a pebble, "you see how bright I am! I am by birth related to the lightening." "Indeed!" said the pebble; "then accept my humble respects." Sometime after, a flash of lightning struck the rock, and the tinsel lost all its brilliancy by the scorching effects of the flash. "Where is your brilliancy now?" said the pebble. "Oh, it is gone to the skies," said the tinsel, "for I have lent it to the lightening that came down a moment ago to borrow it of me." "Oh, it is gone to the skies," said the tinsel, "for I have lent it to the lightening that came down a moment ago to borrow it of me." "Dear me!" said the pebble; "how many fibs doth good bragging need!"

 A Jackdaw once ran up to a glow-worm, and was about to seize him. "Wait a moment, good friend," said the worm; "and you shall hear something to your advantage." "Ah! what is it?" said the daw. "I am but one of the many glow-worms that live in this forest. If you wish to have them all, follow me," said the glow-warm. "Certainly!" said the daw. Then the glow warm-led him to a place in the wood where a fire had been kindled by some woodmen, and pointing to the sparks flying about, said, "There you find the flow-worms warming themselves round a fire. When you have done with them, I shall show you some more, at a distance from this place." The daw darted at the sparks, and tried to swallow some of them; but his mouth being burnt by the attempt, he ran away exclaiming, "Ah! the glow-worm is a dangerous little creature!" Said the glow-worm with pride, "Wickedness yields to wisdom!"

Once upon a moonlit night, in a forgotten corner of existence, there lived a moth. This moth was unlike any other—a creature drawn to the flame, its delicate wings fluttering in pursuit of the ethereal light. The flame, a beacon of warmth and illumination, held an irresistible allure for the moth. It danced closer, its fragile body quivering with anticipation. As the moth drew near, the flame consumed it. The moth surrendered willingly, knowing that its destiny was to be transformed. In that fiery embrace, it transcended its earthly form, becoming something more—a whisper of light, a memory etched into the fabric of the universe. Across the meadow, another story unfolded. An ant, diligent and tireless, laboured amidst the sugar-heap. The sweet crystals clung to its tiny legs, and the ant toiled day and night, collecting sustenance for its colony. But there was a secret—the ant harboured a longing. It yearned for the open sky, the vastness beyond the granules of sugar. Yet duty bound it...

So that lamp may give steady light it must be placed where it is protected from the wind. But if a lamp is in windy place, the light will flicker and cast strange and dark shadows. Even so uncontrolled, foolish and ill-assorted thoughts cast strange and dark shadows upon the soul of man. 

Thus it is with children and children's children, with friends and kinsmen; it is not well to have love for them, for parting from them is inevitable. Come hither from the dark and again gone back into the dark, another knows not thee, and thou knowest not him; who then art thou, and what is anything, that thou lamentest for it? From the stress of desire arises grief, from stress of grief arises pleasure, and from pleasure again arises grief, and again grief. The immediate issue of pleasure is grief, the immediate issue of grief is pleasure; pleasure and grief among men roll round like a wheel. When thou hast passed from pleasure into grief, thou wilt thence pass once more into pleasure; en cannot for ever have grief nor for ever have pleasure. The body is the seat alike of grief and of pleasure. Life also arises together with this body; both wax together, and both together decay. Men are held by the manifold snares of the desires in the world of sense, and they fall away without w...

What a beauty! What a sweet voice! The donkey says to the camel, 'What a beauty you are;' the latter, not to be outdone, answers,' what a sweet voice you have.'

A Sadhu under the instruction of his Guru built for himself a small shed, thatched with leaves at a distance from the haunts of men. He stated his devotional exercises in this hut. Every morning after ablution he would hang his wet cloth and the kalpina cloth on a tree close to the hut to drey them.  One day on his return from the neighbouring village, which he would visit its beg for his daily food, he found that the rats had cut holes in his kalpina . So that next day he was obliged to go to the village for a fresh one. A few days later, the sadhu spread his loin-cloth on the roof of his hut to dry it and then went to the village to beg as usual. On his return he found that the rats had torn it into shreds. He felt much annoyed and thought within himself: "Where shall I go again to beg for a rag?" "Whom shall I ask for one?" All the same he saw the villagers the next day and represented to them the mischief done by the rats. Having heard all he had to say, the vi...

A man was used to celebrate the ' Durga Puja' at his house with great pomp. Goats were sacrificed from sunrise to sunset. People were invited to celebrate it from every where. But after a few years this man stopped celebration of the 'Durga Puja' and thought it was useless fo sacrifice Goats on this special day.  Someone came to him and asked: "How is it, sir, that the sacrifice at your place has become such a fame affair?"  He replied: "Don't you see. My teeth are gone now. I can't eat goat more." [Sri Krishnarama]

There was a poor man who wished to be rich in one day and without any energetic exertions. Therefore he went to a magician and begged him to invoke some spirits who would give him all he wanted. First the Magician tried to dissuade him but finding him resolute he gave him a charm. The man went home in high spirit. Presently a gigantic giant appeared before him and thundered forth:- "Order me, master, or I will kill you!" The man shouted:- "Make me a palace fitted up with every object of comfort." No sooner said than done. The palace was there with everything that the man could wish. The giant called for more work, failing which he would kill the man. The man ordered a pretty garden with flowers, evergreen, fountains, tanks, beautiful birds and beasts and all that he could image and name in one breath. The order was carried out in the twinkling of an eye. Then the giant called for more orders with his usual threat. The man was at his wits' end and muttered out:- ...

Once A Frog had a rupee, which he kept in his hole. One day an elephant was going over the hole, and the frog, coming out in a fit of anger, raised his foot, as of to kick the elephant, and said, "How dare you walk over my head?" Such is the pride that money begets!

  One day as I was on my way I heard a bullfrog croaking. I though it must have been seized by a snake. After sometime as I was coming back, I could still hear its terrified croaking. I looked to see what was the matter, and found that a water snake had seized it. The snake could neither swallow it nor give it up. So there was no end to the frog's suffering. I thought that it had been seized by a cobra it would have been silenced after three croaks at the most. As it was only a water-snake, both of them had to go through this agony. A man's ego is destroyed after three croaks, as it were, if he gets into the clutches of a real teacher. But if the teacher is an 'unripe' one, then both the teacher and the disciples undergo endless suffering. The disciple cannot get rid either of his ego or of the shackles of the world. If a disciple falls into the clutches of an incompetent teacher, he does not attain liberation.  [Sri Ramakrishan]

Once a Persian king sick unto death was ordered the milk of a lioness [ Heb.Lebia ]. A man obtain it after many adventures. On his return the members of his body disputed in the night. The feet said, "Had we not gone the milk had not been got': the hands, 'We milked; that was chief thing; the eyes, 'But for us the lioness could not have been found out.' The heart reminds them of her wise counsels. At last spoke the tongue, "but for me where would have you been?" To the retorts of the other members, the only reply is, "You'll soon see!" Next morning the man came before the King and handing him the milk, said, 'There is the milk of the bitch' [Heb.Kalba] . [The man is ordered off to execution.] On the scaffold the members wept but the tongue laughed. 'What did I tell you? Are you not all in my power? However, I'll take pity on you?"  The tongue called out, 'Lead me once more to the King.' In his presence it said, ...

One sunny afternoon, as the frog was enjoying a peaceful nap, a thunderous vibration shook his dwelling. Startled, he peeked outside and saw an enormous elephant lumbering over his humble abode. The frog’s eyes widened in disbelief and indignation. With a surge of courage, the tiny frog hopped out of his hole. His heart pounded in his chest as he stood in the shadow of the gigantic creature. In a fit of anger, he lifted his foot, mimicking the stance of a seasoned warrior ready to kick. Looking up at the towering elephant, the frog mustered all his strength and bellowed, “How dare you walk over my head?” His voice echoed in the vast jungle, a testament to his audacity. And so, the tale of the brave little frog and his prized rupee lived on, a story of courage and assertiveness in the face of adversity.

  It is not easy to get rid of illusion. It lingers even after the attainment of knowledge. A man dreamt of a tiger. Then he woke up and his dream vanished. But his heart continued to palpitate. Some thieves came to a field. A straw figure resembling a man had been put there to frighten intruders. The thieves were scared by the figure and could not persuade themselves to enter the field. One of them however, approached and found that it was only a figure made of a straw. He came back to his companions and said, "There is nothing to be afraid of." But still they refused to go. They said that they hearts were beating fast. Then the daring thief laid the figure on the ground and said, "It is nothing, it is nothing." 

  A Job seeker got tired of visiting the manage in an office. He couldn't get the job. The manager said to him, "there is no vacancy now; but come and see me now and then." This went on for a long time, and the candidate lost all hope. One day he told his tale of woe to a friend. The friend said: "How stupid you are! Why are you wearing away the soles of your feet going to that fellow? You had better go to Golap. You will get the job tomrrow." "Is that so? said the candidate "I am going right away." Golap was the manager's mistress. The candidate called on her and said "Mother, I am in great distress. You must help me out of it. I am the son of poor Brahama. Where else shall I go for help? My children are about to starve to death. I can get a job if you but say the word. Golap said to him, 'Child, whom should I speak to? She said to herself, "Ah the poor brahman! He has been suffering too much. The candidate said to her, 'I a...